Boston · Month comparison

May vs October

October ranks #1 overall vs May at #4. Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

Magnolias on Commonwealth Avenue Boston

May

#4 of 12 months

Best match

Peak spring — 19°C, magnolias on Commonwealth Avenue, every harbor cruise reopens.

  • ↑Commonwealth Avenue magnolias peak first 2 weeks
  • ↑Boston Harbor cruises and whale-watching all running
October foliage on Boston Public Garden

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

  • ↑Foliage on Comm Ave, Public Garden and the Common at world-class peak
  • ↑Salem (30 min north) Haunted Happenings runs all month
FactorMayOctober
Weather score
9
10
Value score
5
4
Crowd score
5
4
Events score
8
10
Atmosphere
10
10
Avg high temp19°C17°C
Monthly rain90mm110mm
Daily sunshine9hrs7hrs

May trade-offs

  • ↓University graduation weekends (mid-late May) push hotel rates 60%+
  • ↓Memorial Day weekend marks summer transition — Cape Cod traffic begins

October trade-offs

  • ↓Salem and foliage day-tripper traffic clogs every northbound road
  • ↓Hotel rates spike for Head of the Charles weekend
  • ↓110mm rain — wettest autumn month
See all 12 months for Boston →May in detail →October in detail →
Scores compare months within Boston. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →